the Kings beat the Blues last season, won the cup, and beat the Blues again this season by out Bluesing the Blues. They are very similar teams - solid goaltending, solid team defense, big physical forwards with just enough scoring ability to make do. But the Kings are frankly better than the Blues in every aspect of that equation, particularly scoring.

Unlike last season when the Kings basically dominated the Blues, you could argue the Blues for the most part outplayed the Kings in this series. But they converted our defensive lapses into goals; and we could not reciprocate.

Frankly, the Blues lack first line offensive talent. They have three lines that are legitimately second line caliber and a very functional fourth line. They even have players who could be secondary talents on a legitimate first line, but they have no elite scorers; no player you would build an #1 line around. The only 'St Louis' that appears among the league scoring leaders plays for Tampa.

Had this been a normal season, this team would have been assumed to have made the playoffs and contended for the division title and would have been judged solely on how far they made it in the playoffs. But the lockout, shortened western conference only schedule, and injuries especially in goal made making the playoffs and gaining home ice seem like an accomplishment.

Keith Jones suggested tonight that this series represents 'progress' for the Blues, because it was harder for the Kings to eliminate us this year than last. What this series really represents is a need to recognize that this core is simply not good enough to win the Cup. A first round exit for this team does not constitute progress.

Minnesota spent 200m on two top drawer, elite offense players and what happened? The wheels came off in other areas. It happens. But by your rationale, if we made the Finals it wouldn't be enough either in terms of 'progress', it's Cup or Bust and as much as I am so much in with that mentality, over the time I've been on here, I've learned that those kind of teams take time to build, or rebuild. Ask Giguere about that, or Kevin Weekes or a number Khabi when he was in Tampa, or others. Sometimes it takes a step in the right direction to get you there. Mind the teams who are powerhouses, like Chicago, have more ofthen than not had the same ownership from Day One or the last 20+ years. That makes all the difference in the world. Imagine if Sid and family were still owner of the Blues where we'd be by now.

You got to take into account everything. A few years ago, just a few years ago, we thought that was it for us and we were not making the playoffs again for a long time and it really looked that bleak. Now we can hang in there with a Cup Champion and that's a very promising, positive start.

There is no prayer that this could be considered a "step forward". In the end, they won two fewer playoff games, and lost four in a row AGAIN. This was a major, major step backwards and a sign that this team as currently constructed has no prayer of winning the Cup. We've been told to wait for the kids to develop for years now. They've developed into a team full of role players and third-line forwards.

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There is no prayer that this could be considered a "step forward". In the end, they won two fewer playoff games, and lost four in a row AGAIN. This was a major, major step backwards and a sign that this team as currently constructed has no prayer of winning the Cup. We've been told to wait for the kids to develop for years now. They've developed into a team full of role players and third-line forwards.

I wouldn't call it a 'major, major step backwards.' I think for that, we would have had to miss the postseason. But we made the playoffs for the second straight year, the first time that had happened in a decade. Yes, they lost in the first round, but they hung in every game against the defending Cup champs, a team that absolutely steamrolled them a year ago. The Blues could have won this series, they just missed too many of their own chances. It was a tough draw, for sure. I think if anything, the Blues didn't take the step forward we thought they would.

I do expect some changes this offseason as I don't think Army is going to stand for this.

actually we've proven we can 'hang in there' with a legitimate cup contender, which of course is different from being one.

progress would have been gutting out a tough series win against the Kings. winning games that were there to win

progress would have been winning series against lower seeded teams(series we 'should' win) in order to face the Hawks in the Conference finals

even losing to the Hawks in the Conference finals would have constituted progress and a reason to continue to build around this offensive core.

After 2010, the Blues were a popular pick to be the "next Hawks"; a team whose good young players all take their games to the next level and make their team a Cup contender. Instead we got a refund for missing the playoffs in 2011.

This past offseason, the Blues were a popular Cup choice, based on last year. And this team went into 'contend now' mode -- we dealt our 1st and a 2nd round pick in a deep draft to shore up our defense for a playoff run. What we got was................

McDonald no pointsStewart no goalsPerron no goals and a minus3 ratingberglund 2 points(1-1) and a minus3tj Oshie 2 points(his 2 career playoff goals), and a minus4 ratingleopold no points and a minus2

internal questions like do we have a cup caliber goalie in Halak? go unansweredhalak has only played in 2 playoff games for the Blues and next year is the last year of his dealtarasenko a promising start to the season, an injury, a disappointing stretch run and a playoff no show

This one is completely on Hitchcock. Tank barely got any ice time at all while players who were not working and not producing continued to get regular shifts throughout the series.

I question whether Hitch will be back.

Obviously, Amac will be gone, have to wonder about Stewart. They will try and trade Halak.

I'll be stunned if Hitch is gone. If next year is a bridge year as I suspect, he might even be more or less guaranteed to be here for 2014-15 as well (within reason of course). Beyond that, I think we need at least a deep run in the playoffs though.

The hawks had 3: Kane at 5th, Toews at 13th and Hossa at 75th(Hossa made it despite missing time due to injury; sharp who had 5 goals in the first round of the playoffs did not)

two former members of the 2010 cup team at 18th Ladd and 56th Brouweran additional 2010 cup member (Byfuglien) tied with Backes at 100thtwo current and 2 former hawks tied at 109th with Alex Steen (27pts) -- Saad and Keith, Campbell and Kopecky

Fairly certain this is tongue in cheek, but please don't do that. We already can't go after top guys because of money issues. Let's not make another reason we can't go after people that the organization is known for giving insulting offers.

And...if we are going to look at "rankings", we need to look at PLAYOFF rankings. The following are the top 100 scorers so far. We had no one in the top 50 and the 8 goals represented in the list also represents 80% of our "output". Don't blame Elliot...the numbers below are the reason it ended. Am I proud of the effort? Yes, but effort alone does not equate to success. Effort+results=success.

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